Lady Sings The Blues (F major) - Jazz Analysis & Chords

Harmonic Highlights

• The progression opens with a chromatic line cliché (Fm to Fm7), creating internal voice-led motion over a static minor tonic.
• Frequent modal interchange occurs between F minor and F major, specifically where the minor opening resolves into a diatonic I–IV–I in F major.
• The use of secondary dominants, such as D7 leading to Gm7 and G7 leading to C7b9, establishes a strong cycle-of-fifths momentum typical of jazz-blues structures.
• The Eb7 functions as a backdoor dominant (bVII7), providing a bluesy, non-functional transition back to the F major tonic.

Improvisation Focus F Blues Scale (combining minor and major thirds to navigate the parallel major/minor shifts).

Difficulty Rating 3 (Intermediate): The performer must skillfully navigate the constant shifts between parallel major and minor tonalities and the chromaticism of the opening line cliché.